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Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16 1971 – March 31 1995), best known as Selena, was a Mexican American singer who has been called "the queen of Tejano music". The youngest child of a Mexican-American couple, Selena released her first album at the age of twelve. She won Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards and landed a recording contract with EMI a few years later. Her fame grew throughout the early 1990s, especially in Spanish-speaking countries. Her album Selena Live! won Best Mexican-American Album at the 36th Grammy Awards and her 1994 album Amor Prohibido, which was nominated for another Grammy, produced four number one Spanish hits.

Selena attained further notability in North America after she was murdered at the age of 23 by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club. On April 12 1995, two weeks after her death, George W. Bush, then the governor of Texas, declared her birthday "Selena Day" in Texas. Warner Brothers made a film based on her life starring Jennifer Lopez in 1997. As of June 2006, Selena was commemorated with a museum and a bronze life-sized statue (Mirador de la Flor in Corpus Christi, Texas), which are visited by hundreds of fans each week.

Early career

Selena was born in Lake Jackson, Texas to a Mexican-American father, Abraham Quintanilla and a Mexican/Native American mother, Marcella Ofelia Zamora, and was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. She began singing at the age of six; when she was nine her father founded the singing group Selena y Los Dinos, which she fronted. They initially performed at the Quintanilla family's restaurant, "Papa Gayos," but the restaurant failed shortly afterwards.

The family soon went bankrupt and was evicted from their home. Taking their musical equipment in an old bus, they relocated to Corpus Christi, Texas. There, they performed wherever they could: at street corners, weddings, quinceañeras, and fairs. These efforts at spreading their names paid off in 1983 when the twelve-year-old Selena recorded her first album for a local record company. The album was not sold in stores and her father bought all of the original copies. It was re-released in 1995 under the title Mis Primeras Grabaciones.

Selena did well in school, but as she grew more popular, the travel demands of her performance schedule began to interfere with her education. Her father pulled her out of school altogether when she was in eighth grade. She continued her education on the road; at age seventeen she earned a high school diploma from The American School of Correspondence in Chicago. Selena released her second album, Alpha, in 1986.

selena was mexican woman. her early career was eating alot of mierda.

Death

In early 1995, the Quintanillas discovered that Yolanda Saldívar, the president of Selena's fan club and the manager of her boutiques, was stealing money from the boutiques and decided to fire her. Soon after the fallout, Selena agreed to meet Saldívar in a Days Inn hotel in Corpus Christi on the morning of March 31 1995 to retrieve paperwork for tax purposes.

At the hotel, Selena demanded the missing financial papers. Saldívar delayed the handover by claiming she had been raped in Mexico. The singer drove Saldívar to a local hospital where doctors found no evidence of rape. Saldívar returned to the motel where Selena again demanded the missing financial papers.

An argument ensued and Saldívar drew a gun from her purse, pointing it first at her own head and then at Selena. As the singer turned and left the room, Saldívar shot her once in the back. Selena fled to the manager's office in the lobby for help, with Saldívar chasing her, calling her a "bitch." Before collapsing to the floor, Selena named Saldívar as her assailant and gave the room number where she had been shot. After an ambulance and the police arrived on the scene, Selena was transported to a local hospital. She died there from loss of blood at 1:05 p.m., at the age of 23.

Aftermath

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end Selena's death devastated and saddened Latinos and non-Latinos alike across the United States and abroad. Major networks interrupted their regular programming to break the news; Tom Brokaw referred to Selena as "The Mexican Madonna." Numerous vigils and memorials were held in her honor, and radio stations in Texas played her music non-stop. Her funeral drew approximately 60,000 mourners, many of whom traveled from outside the United States. Among the celebrities who were reported to have immediately phoned the Quintanilla family to express their condolences were Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias and Madonna. People magazine published a commemorative issue in honor of Selena's memory and musical career, titled Selena 1971–1995, Her Life in Pictures. A few days afterwards, Howard Stern mocked Selena's murder and burial, poked fun at her mourners, and criticized her music. Stern said, "This music does absolutely nothing for me. Alvin and the Chipmunks have more soul... Spanish people have the worst taste in music. They have no depth." Stern's comments outraged and infuriated the Hispanic community across Texas. Two weeks after her death, on April 12, George W. Bush, then Governor of Texas, declared Selena's birthday April 16 as "Selena Day" in Texas.

That summer, Selena's album Dreaming of You, a combination of Spanish-language songs and new English-language tracks, debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making her the first Hispanic singer to accomplish this feat and the second highest debut after Michael Jackson's HIStory. On its release date, the album sold over 175,000 copies, a record for a female pop singer, and it sold two million copies in its first year. Songs such as "I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You" were played widely by mainstream English-language radio, with the latter reaching #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile, "I Could Fall in Love," while ineligible for the Hot 100 at the time, reached #12 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. David Byrne has played homage to Selena on his past tours with Tosca Strings by performing their duo God's Child. "Dreaming of You" has sold approximately five million copies in the U.S.

In October 1995, a Houston jury convicted Saldívar of first degree murder and sentenced her to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in thirty years. The gun used to kill Selena was later destroyed and the pieces thrown into Corpus Christi Bay.

Legacy

In 1997, Jennifer Lopez played Selena in a film about her life. Directed by Gregory Nava, the biopic opened with mostly positive reviews. Over 12,000 people auditioned for a role in the film. The film stirred some controversy in the Mexican-American community, since Lopez is Puerto Rican and played the role of a singer of Mexican descent. But Selena's fans supported the movie, and Lopez's acting in the film helped elevate her career. Although Lopez succeeded as a pop star a few years later, Selena's voice was dubbed in for all the songs in the movie. For her role, Lopez was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Reliant Stadium in Houston hosted a tribute concert, Selena ¡VIVE!, on April 7 2005. Held a week after the 10th anniversary of her death, over 65,000 fans attended the concert, which featured high-profile artists including Gloria Estefan, Pepe Aguilar, Thalía, Paulina Rubio, Ana Barbara, Alejandra Guzmán, Ana Gabriel, and Fey. The artists performed renditions of Selena's music, as did her brother, A.B. Quintanilla, who performed with his band Kumbia Kings backed with footage of Selena singing "Baila Esta Cumbia." Broadcast live on the Univision network, Selena ¡VIVE! is the highest-rated and most-viewed Spanish-language show in American television history. The show, which lasted over three hours, scored a 35.9 Nielsen household rating.

Selected discography

Early releases

EMI Music releases

Posthumous releases

References

1. Selena Quintanilla Samora in the Spanish naming system.
2. ^ Mitchell, Rick. "Selena". Houston Chronicle, May 21 1995. Retrieved on February 1 2008.
3. ^ Orozco, Cynthia E. Quintanilla Perez, Selena. The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved on June 5 2006
4. HSA Banquet Features Father of Late Tejano Star Selena, Baylor University press release, November 4 1999. Retrieved October 13 2006.
5. Ware, Susan. Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary, Harvard University Press 2005. ISBN:067401488X
6. ^ Selena. Thompson Gale (Gale.com). Retrieved on June 6 2006.
7. "Testimony of Richard Fredrickson" Houston Chronicle, October 13 1995. Retrieved on February 1 2008.
8. "October 12 1995 testimony of Carla Anthony in the Selena trial". Houston Chronicle, October 12 1995. Retrieved on June 5 2006.
9. "October 12, 1995, the testimony of Norma Martinez". Houston Chronicle, October 12 1995. Retrieved on February 1 2008.
10. "Friday, October 13, testimony of Shawna Vela". Houston Chronicle, October 13 1995. Retrieved on February 1 2008.
11. Villafranca, Armando and Reinert, Patty. "Singer Selena shot to death". Houston Chronicle, April 1 1995. Retrieved on February 1 2008.
12. "In the spirit of Selena: Tributes, a book and an impending film testify to the Tejano singer's enduring". by Gregory Rodriguez Pacific News, March 21 1997. Retrieved on July 18 2006.
13. Asin, Stephanie and Dyer, R.A. "Selena's public outraged: Shock jock Howard Stern's comments hit raw nerve." Houston Chronicle, April 6 1995. Retrieved on February 1 2008.
14. Hodges, Ann. "Selena legend lives on with TV movie'. Houston Chronicle, December 6 1996. Retrieved on May 20 2006.
15. "In the spirit of Selena: Tributes, a book and an impending film testify to the Tejano singer's enduring". Houston Chronicle, March 31 1996. Retrieved on January 18 2008.
16. Graczyk, Michael. "Selena's killer gets life". Associated Press, October 26 1995. Retrieved on February 1 2008.
17. National Briefing Southwest: Texas: Gun That Killed Singer Is To Be Destroyed The New York Times, June 8 2002. Retrieved on July 16 2006.
18. Weapon Used to Kill Selena Destroyed The Daily Texan, June 11 2002. Retrieved on September 7 2006.
19. Rotten Tomatoes reviews of Selena. Rotten Tomatoes, Retrieved on July 20 2006.
20. "Scholar examines the spell of Selena". Houston Chronicle, April 28 1996. Retrieved on June 5 2006.
21. "Gale profile". Thompson Gale (Gale.com). Retrieved on July 20 2006.
22. Selena movie review. Roger Ebert, Retrieved on July 20 2006.
23. Awards for Selena (1997). IMDb.com. Retrieved on May 17 2006.
24. Univision’s Selena ¡Vive! Breaks Audience Records. Univision, November 4 2005. Retrieved on June 6 2006.

External links

• Q Productions - Official web site
• Selena Articles - Selena Articles

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• 1971 births
• 1995 deaths
• American female singers
• American murder victims
• American singers
• Deaths by firearm in the United States
• English-language singers
• Grammy Award winners
• History of Corpus Christi, Texas
• Mexican American musicians
• American mezzo-sopranos
• Murdered entertainers
• People from Houston, Texas
• Selena
• Spanish-language singers